Chapter 2: Water Divination Method
Hearing the howls of wolves from all directions, the wolf Arthur controlled bristled all over.
Is there no end to this? Is the world really so merciless?
Arthur struggled to pull a black suit off a corpse, rolling onto the back of the wolf he controlled, draping the oversized suit over himself.
He clung tightly to the wolf, burying his head under the suit, shutting out his own vision to focus on the wolf's perspective.
"Arthur Wolf" sprinted, leaping nimbly over the pile of corpses, cutting through the tall, dense grass like a black arrow.
Whoosh!
The wolf silhouette darted through the dim light, quickly emerging from the grass, its glowing green eyes narrowing.
Thud, "Arthur Wolf" landed on all fours, growling as it slowed its pace. Arthur, jostled on the wolf's back, looked through the wolf's eyes at the pack of wolves flanking him from both sides.
Pairs of wolf eyes glowed green, like approaching ghostly flames... Damn it, a pack of wild dogs, using tactics like this?
"Arthur Wolf" growled, retreating slowly under the tense, murderous aura of the approaching wolves.
He needed to buy more time...
If his main body could recover some strength, he might be able to use the Star Mark ability a few more times...
If he could successfully control a few more wolves, he might have a chance to survive...
Arthur felt exhausted. Transmigrating inexplicably into a little kid, that was one thing, but waking up in a pile of corpses, chased by wolves to this point, what kind of situation was this? Couldn't he catch a break? He didn't want to die confused.
At this moment, the wolves seemed to run out of patience, barking at each other, lunging at Arthur and the wolf he controlled...
Arthur took a deep breath, decisively controlling "Arthur Wolf" to buck its back.
The wolf's hind legs kicked up, pushing Arthur, who slid off its back, into the grass.
"Arthur Wolf" let out a sharp howl, colliding with the attacking wolves.
In an instant, it felt like countless claws slammed into him, countless teeth biting, gnawing, and gouging at his legs, head, and back...
Projecting his consciousness onto the wolf, he felt the pain of being torn apart by the pack. Lying on the edge of the tall grass, Arthur quickly withdrew his consciousness from the wolf, no longer focusing on the nearby wolf fight. Exhausted and numb, Arthur pulled out a soft strand of hair from his head, hoping it might help, rather than closing his eyes and letting these damn dogs eat him.
But soon, the sounds of biting and fighting ceased, replaced by uneasy growls, as if the wolves had encountered something dangerous...
Arthur struggled to sit up, cautiously parting the grass, and was stunned.
The wolf he had controlled lay bloodied on the ground, while the surrounding wolves retreated, all looking in the same direction, toward the beast on the slope he had first noticed.
The faint moonlight made the approaching creature look like a mythical beast.
Up close, the beast stood over a meter tall, its pure-colored fur reflecting the moonlight, emitting a mesmerizing jade-like blue-green glow. Especially on its forehead, a pattern resembling the character for "king" shone like jade.
"Roar..." The tiger with the glowing fur pattern growled at the wolves.
With each step it took, the wolves backed away in fear, eventually scattering when the distance was safe.
It's just a tiger! You're so many wolves, what are you afraid of?
Arthur was frustrated, wishing he could control the fleeing wolves to swarm the strange tiger, at least fight it to a draw!
Then he could escape in the chaos...
The tiger looked over at Arthur.
Its tiger eyes, like jewels, complemented the glowing "king" pattern on its forehead, truly beautiful... Of course, it would be perfect if it stopped walking toward him.
The tiger's furry, yet terrifyingly large head, slowly approached Arthur... The jade-like glow from its forehead reflected in Arthur's eyes, getting closer and closer... Finally, the tiger turned its head, gently rubbing Arthur's head. Arthur was stunned, was this glowing great tiger showing goodwill?
Did he have such an aura of authority? Or was it his name?
Though Arthur found it inexplicable, he thought, since he wasn't losing anything, he might as well relax.
The tiger rubbed for a while, then extended its furry tail, wrapping it around Arthur, lifting him onto its broad back.
"Clothes," Arthur instinctively reminded.
The glowing great tiger picked up the scattered suit, turning its head. Arthur dumbfoundedly reached out, taking the suit, putting his thin arms through the sleeves.
Arthur looked at his blood-stained fingers, hesitating whether to draw a Star Mark on the tiger's back...
The cool night breeze blew, and Arthur wrapped the suit tighter, abandoning the idea.
If the ability activation failed, it might anger the tiger. The friendship they had inexplicably formed could turn sour, and the consequences might be a bit grim...
Sitting on the tiger's back, Arthur looked up, gazing at the wild grass mound on the plain, knowing it was filled with corpses, realizing it was best to leave before understanding the situation.
Better to run first!
Arthur gently patted the tiger's back, pointing in the direction where the sound of water seemed to come from.
The glowing tiger followed his direction, leisurely leaving. Along the way, Arthur noticed a shadow sneaking around, seemingly the wolf he had controlled earlier, it hadn't been killed by the pack?
He had withdrawn his control earlier to avoid pain, not expecting the injured wolf to escape during his lapse.
The wolf also noticed the approaching glowing great tiger and the human boy on its back, nervously turning to flee.
Arthur had a thought, calling out to the wolf's retreating figure, "Come here!"
As he spoke, Arthur vaguely felt a heat, invisible to the naked eye, ignite at the pink Star Mark inside the wolf's ear, spreading throughout its body... The wolf stopped its escape, turning back without hesitation, running to Arthur, wagging its tail.
Sure enough, once the ability was successfully applied, it consumed the target's energy when used... Arthur confirmed the characteristics of his ability once again.
Since that was the case, he decided to conduct a simple test along the way.
So, as he rode the tiger, he kept testing the controlled wolf, eventually drawing preliminary conclusions.
The control method of the pink Star Mark was divided into three types:
① Arthur fully immerses himself, like a first-person game perspective. Perhaps because the thinking when possessing the target is carried by the target's brain, Arthur can easily multitask, with his main body's actions and the controlled wolf's actions not interfering with each other;
② Arthur, as an observer, freely controls the wolf marked by the Star Mark, like commanding a game character;
③ Arthur can issue verbal commands to the target...
"Roll over once, then hop forward twice," Arthur ordered the running wolf from the tiger's back.
The wolf immediately rolled over, then hopped forward twice, before resuming its task of scouting ahead, as per Arthur's previous command to "scout ahead, check the situation, and stay within my sight."
Arthur nodded in satisfaction, "It seems issuing new verbal commands doesn't override the previous unfinished or unrevoked command..."
This ability is so convenient, am I invincible?
Arthur didn't know if his ability would work on humans...
Speaking of humans... where exactly had he transmigrated to? Was this still Earth?
The glowing tiger with its flamboyant stripes, his strange ability...
Arthur was lost in thought on the tiger's back when the wolf ahead made a sound, sniffing the ground as if it had found something.
But what exactly, with the sky so dark, Arthur had no night vision... Huh?
Arthur had a thought, switching to control method ①, immediately occupying the wolf's body, gaining its vision, seeing a series of dark, dried bloodstains on the ground.
He sniffed with the wolf's nose, these bloodstains... there were more ahead! And the wolf's keen sense of smell also caught the strong scent of sea breeze in the night air.
Was the sea ahead?
And these bloodstains... Arthur imagined a gang landing on the shore, one side fleeing, the other pursuing...
As the night deepened, the moonlight grew stronger, and the great tiger beneath Arthur, its fur glowing like jade, became even more mesmerizing, making the wolf ahead seem like a clumsy mutt.
Before long, Arthur rode the tiger to the seaside.
The pitch-black, deep sea, accompanied by the sound of waves crashing on the shore, brought a cool sea breeze. Using the wolf's night vision, Arthur soon discovered a small yacht half-sunken on the rocks. The side of the cabin was completely breached, seawater pouring in...
"Hope there's no one on board," Arthur patted the glowing great tiger, its stripes too flashy, easily spotted from afar.
Arthur signaled the tiger to retreat temporarily, then continued using method ①, controlling the wolf in first-person to easily leap onto the yacht's bow, which was almost embedded in the shore.
"Arthur Wolf" landed on all fours, slipping on the wet deck, sliding toward the cabin entrance, easily pushing open the door, rushing inside. The door wasn't even locked...
First, he needed to check if there was anyone on the ship; second, he needed to find food, as he was starving...
The cabin showed signs of chaos, with items scattered in the corridors, most rooms with open doors, beds and tables in disarray, some places with bloodstains, indicating a fight had occurred... "Arthur Wolf" searched for the kitchen while carefully observing the situation, suddenly hearing a crunch underfoot. He looked down sharply, finding a newspaper.
Using the moonlight streaming into the cabin and the wolf's excellent night vision, he clearly saw the words and photos on the newspaper.
He didn't recognize a single word.
However, the densely packed symbols, resembling tadpoles or unknown totems, gave Arthur a familiar feeling...
Damn it! Isn't this the exclusive script from the Hunter x Hunter manga?
Had he transmigrated to the world of Hunter x Hunter?
It was like a bolt of lightning struck his mind, the bizarre experiences since his transmigration flashing before his eyes...
The sensation of being wrapped in weightless water, was it actually the life energy known as 'Aura'?
The pink Star Mark he used to control the wolf, was it his awakened 'Nen Ability'?
The fog cleared, and Arthur looked up at the moon, then around, dismounting the tiger to pick a leaf, coaxing the glowing tiger to carry him back onto the ship.
To verify if this was indeed the Hunter World, it was simple.
In the Hunter World, Nen Ability users had an innate ability type, which could be quickly and intuitively identified using a method called 'Water Divination', requiring only a glass of water and a leaf.
If he could successfully identify his ability type, it would be almost certain...
The glowing great tiger, with its heavy steps, entered the empty cabin. Arthur slid off its back, holding the leaf, running to his destination.
By the water tank, "Arthur Wolf" had already fetched a glass, filling it halfway with water, waiting there.